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The stock, one-fourth of the FANG trade, has tanked 23 percent since the beginning of October, tracking for its worst quarter since the fourth quarter of 2008. There could be more downside ahead for the stock, said Ari Wald, head of technical analysis at Oppenheimer. “We still think this stock works for the long term. Bullish long term, near term let it stabilize for longer.” “We have to separate Amazon the company from Amazon the stock,” Schlossberg said Monday on “Trading Nation.”

The stock, one-fourth of the FANG trade, has tanked 23 percent since the beginning of October, tracking for its worst quarter since the fourth quarter of 2008.

There could be more downside ahead for the stock, said Ari Wald, head of technical analysis at Oppenheimer.

“The stock needs additional time to stabilize but we think it is fine for the long term and probably one of the better-looking retail charts with the rest of that group really breaking down,” Wald said Monday on CNBC’s “Trading Nation.”

“What’s important to note here is that while the S&P 500 is breaking below its October low, Amazon is still above it, trying to make this higher low. That is a sign of relative strength that we like to see,” added Wald.

“For levels, $1,450 is one we’re watching. There’s a key retracement there,” said Wald. “We still think this stock works for the long term. Bullish long term, near term let it stabilize for longer.”

Amazon last broke below $1,450 on Nov. 20. It is a 6.6 percent decline from reaching it again.

The fundamentals case supports longer-term gains even if the stock’s performance suggest more pain could come, said Boris Schlossberg, managing director of FX strategy at BK Asset Management.

“We have to separate Amazon the company from Amazon the stock,” Schlossberg said Monday on “Trading Nation.” “The stock went on a parabolic run and now it’s correcting properly.”

At its peak in September, Amazon shares had rallied 75 percent for the year. Since then, it has tumbled 24 percent and entered a bear market.

As a company, Amazon should continue to deliver, said Schlossberg.

“Amazon is just simply an unbelievable juggernaut of execution and I love it for the long term, but for the short term the stock is going to wallow so you probably just want to simply collect it by selling puts,” he said.

Selling a put is typically a bullish bet where the seller has an obligation to buy the stock at a predetermined price.

Its extreme sell-off has pushed its stock down 33 percent from record highs set at the beginning of the year. The lowest bounce was 25 percent so that’s very positive,” added Maley. Following earnings, Maley added in an email that $180 to $185 should provide solid support for the stock even as it falls. “At the end of the day, this is an inexpensive stock and it’s definitely been beaten down I think aggressively and I think it’s cheap,” added Sanchez. FedEx trades at 10 times forward earnings, w

The stock is down 4 percent after the bell and tracking for its worst month in nearly a decade.

The package-delivery company has plummeted 20 percent in December, a loss not seen since January 2009. Its extreme sell-off has pushed its stock down 33 percent from record highs set at the beginning of the year.

“It actually has a lot of potential,” Maley said on CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Tuesday. “If you look at the weekly chart, it’s broken below its 200-week moving average. Usually that’s pretty negative for a stock. However, if you look, it’s only done that three times since the financial crisis and in all three of those occasions it bounced back very quickly.”

When FedEx has previously broken below that long-term trendline, it has averaged a 45 percent rally over the following six months, according to Maley’s calculations.

The severity of its recent declines has also set up a strong technical picture, he said.

“Look at its weekly RSI, it’s only been this oversold five other times and each one of those cases, it’s bounced back strongly. The lowest bounce was 25 percent so that’s very positive,” added Maley.

A 25 percent gain would take FedEx shares above $230. It has not traded above that level since the beginning of the month.

Following earnings, Maley added in an email that $180 to $185 should provide solid support for the stock even as it falls. It has not fallen below $180 in just over two years.

Gina Sanchez, CEO of Chantico Global, says some of the damage to FedEx may have been too extreme.

“If you look at what’s been weighing down FedEx recently, it’s been the concern around China and where trade goes from here — obviously that matters to FedEx — but also what happens with Amazon Air,” said Sanchez.

Those risks could be already priced in and might be fading, says Sanchez. On trade, progress is expected in talks with China in the New Year, while Sanchez notes there have been doubts over how well Amazon can efficiently execute on last-mile deliveries.

“At the end of the day, this is an inexpensive stock and it’s definitely been beaten down I think aggressively and I think it’s cheap,” added Sanchez.

FedEx trades at 10 times forward earnings, well below its peak of 17.6 times at the beginning of the year. The S&P 500 trades at 14.6 times forward earnings.

Robinhood’s attempt to launch a disruptive, first-of-its-kind product offers some lessons for fintech companies trying to break the mold in a highly regulated industry. Those protections are a far cry from FDIC-checking and savings accounts, which have different capital requirements and are equipped to handle bank failures or a run on a bank. President and CEO of SIPC Stephen Harbeck had “serious concerns” about Robinhood’s product when the news hit Thursday. Harbeck’s key worry was that account

Robinhood’s attempt to launch a disruptive, first-of-its-kind product offers some lessons for fintech companies trying to break the mold in a highly regulated industry.

On Thursday, the popular stock-trading start-up rolled out what executives said was the biggest announcement in the company’s history: Checking and savings products with a 3 percent interest rate, and zero fees. But just a day later, the start-up un-winded its ambitious plan.

There were a number of questions about the product — but mostly on the regulatory side.

The accounts being offered by Robinhood were insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, or SIPC. Those protections are a far cry from FDIC-checking and savings accounts, which have different capital requirements and are equipped to handle bank failures or a run on a bank.

President and CEO of SIPC Stephen Harbeck had “serious concerns” about Robinhood’s product when the news hit Thursday. But said he didn’t have a chance to air those to the company because Robinhood never called him, or the SEC, ahead ahead of the launch.

Harbeck’s key worry was that accounts Robinhood was touting as checking and savings were not insured the same way. SIPC protects brokerage accounts, which Harbeck explained are meant for the purpose of investing in securities. Cash in those accounts that isn’t being used to invest in stocks, would likely not be protected, he said.

“I understand that people want to be innovative and things change, but I have to work within a certain statute,” Harbeck told CNBC in a phone interview Monday. “The statutes we work with can only can protect certain funds.”

You’ve probably seen and maybe played with smart speakers like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod, but they all seem to look and work about the same. An Amazon Echo might be the best choice in one house, for example, while a Google Home might be perfect for a different family. Or, if you’re really technical, you might want to buy a whole bunch of smart speakers in different shapes and sizes to place all over your house. While you can certainly put smart speakers from Apple, Google an

You’ve probably seen and maybe played with smart speakers like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod, but they all seem to look and work about the same. Which one should you buy?

It depends. An Amazon Echo might be the best choice in one house, for example, while a Google Home might be perfect for a different family. Or, if you’re really technical, you might want to buy a whole bunch of smart speakers in different shapes and sizes to place all over your house. (As long as they’re from the same company. While you can certainly put smart speakers from Apple, Google and Amazon in your house, none of them work together, so that will just cause more of a headache. Pick one brand and stick to it.)

This guide isn’t meant to say one is better than the other, but instead to give you an understanding so that you can pick which one will work best for you.

“Five years from now, we would expect that a majority of the states in the country would have free college tuition, and that would be a tipping point,” said Morley Winograd, the president and CEO of the Campaign for Free College Tuition. The scholarship applies to all schools at the City University of New York and State University of New York (abbreviated CUNY and SUNY, respectively). • Attend a SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year program. At private four-year schools, average tuition and fees rose 2

“Five years from now, we would expect that a majority of the states in the country would have free college tuition, and that would be a tipping point,” said Morley Winograd, the president and CEO of the Campaign for Free College Tuition.

Last year, New York’s Excelsior Scholarship became the first in the nation to cover four years of tuition without being tethered to academic performance.

The scholarship applies to all schools at the City University of New York and State University of New York (abbreviated CUNY and SUNY, respectively). New York says more than 940,000 middle-class families and individuals making up to $125,000 per year will qualify when the program completes its three-year phase-in in 2020.

“Today, college is what high school was — it should always be an option even if you can’t afford it,” Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press release.

To be eligible for the Excelsior scholarship, students need to:

• Be New York State residents.

• Attend a SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year program.

• Take 30 credits per calendar year (including January and summer sessions).

• Plan to live and work in New York following graduation for at least as long as the time they participate in the scholarship program.

Tuition has historically risen about 3 percent to 5 percent a year, according to the College Board, continuously outpacing inflation and family income.

During the recession, declining public funds caused tuition to skyrocket. At private four-year schools, average tuition and fees rose 26 percent in the last decade. Tuition plus fees at four-year public schools, which were harder hit, jumped 35 percent over the same time period.

The growing number of free tuition programs can be a lifeline.

“We haven’t seen momentum around college affordability on the federal side, so it’s welcome to see that happening on the state side,” said Jennifer Mishory, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, specializing in issues related to workforce and higher education.

In the state-based programs already in place, students receive a scholarship for the amount of tuition that is not covered by existing state or federal aid. Most, like Tennessee, are “last-dollar” scholarships, meaning the program pays for whatever tuition and fees are left after financial aid and other grants are applied.

Based on the early evidence, “we’ve seen access increasing,” said Sara Goldrick Rab, a professor of higher education policy and sociology at Temple University. “It’s absolutely a good start.”

There are a variety of reasons why Toyota sold just 3,180 of its Prius hatchbacks in November. Sales of the entire Prius “family,” including a plug-in hybrid version, are running barely a quarter of its peak. And some observers believe the hybrid version of the cross-over utility vehicle could out-sell Prius in 2019. As a result, many are questioning whether Toyota even needs the Prius anymore. And the 2019 model shows that the automaker is looking for ways to revitalize the hybrid hatchback’s a

“For the next Prius we have to think about how to … separate [it] from the rest of the Toyota line-up,” Deputy Chief Engineer Koichi Kaneko said in an interview in Kohler, Wisconsin where the automaker was giving journalists a first chance to drive the 2019 model last week.

There are a variety of reasons why Toyota sold just 3,180 of its Prius hatchbacks in November. Sales of the entire Prius “family,” including a plug-in hybrid version, are running barely a quarter of its peak.

The sharp downturn in fuel prices has scuttled sales of all mileage-minded vehicles. But, as Kaneko alluded to, Toyota has also diluted the appeal of the Prius by now offering hybrid powertrain options on a variety of its more conventional models, such as the Corolla sedan and RAV4 crossover-utility vehicle.

The RAV4 is now Toyota’s best-selling American model, last year nudging past the familiar Camry sedan. And some observers believe the hybrid version of the cross-over utility vehicle could out-sell Prius in 2019. As a result, many are questioning whether Toyota even needs the Prius anymore.

“Toyota can say the Prius did everything they needed,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst for IHS Markit, helping burnish the Japanese automaker’s green credentials and proving there’s a market for gas-electric drivetrain technology.

“But what do they need Prius for” anymore? Brinley quickly added. “It’s difficult to walk away from a nameplate with so much equity, but it may make sense to drop it.”

For now, at least, that’s not something Toyota plans to do. And the 2019 model shows that the automaker is looking for ways to revitalize the hybrid hatchback’s appeal. That includes some modest tweaks to interior and exterior design responding to wide criticism of the fourth-generation model after its 2016 model-year debut.

According to Sullivan, a “big part of Allbirds’ success” was happening even before celebrities started wearing them. The “style that they’ve adopted is very comfortable, but meaningful and sustainable, [and] is spreading beyond its borders,” Esquire magazine fashion director Nick Sullivan tells CNBC Make It. “I think people are naturally intrigued by the whole Silicon Valley thing and start-ups and app designers, and everything. “More and more, people are able to wear sneakers to work, or a snea

In August, Leonardo DiCaprio announced that he’d personally invested in Allbirds, noting the company’s use of environmentally friendly materials.

Allbirds does, on occasion, send free products to high-profile customers, including celebrities, but an Allbirds spokesperson noted that this typically happens after those big-name customers have already started wearing the brand on their own.

According to Sullivan, a “big part of Allbirds’ success” was happening even before celebrities started wearing them. The company had already sold more than a million pairs months earlier.

The trend that started in Silicon Valley, seamlessly expanded into mainstream fashion. The “style that they’ve adopted is very comfortable, but meaningful and sustainable, [and] is spreading beyond its borders,” Esquire magazine fashion director Nick Sullivan tells CNBC Make It. “I think people are naturally intrigued by the whole Silicon Valley thing and start-ups and app designers, and everything. It sort of feels like a modern thing to do.

“So it’s natural that [Allbirds], at those very reasonable prices, anybody can get in on that.”

“I think we could never have imagined how fast and how far the idea would have traveled,” Brown says. Indeed, in addition to a strong presence on social media, including an exclusive shoe sale on Instagram in March, and a rare retail collaboration with Nordstrom earlier this year, much of the buzz around Allbirds, especially early on, spread via word of mouth.

While Allbirds tends to inspire die-hard devotion from many of its wearers, some customers have voiced complaints that the shoes wear out too quickly, despite the company’s assertions about the resilience of its natural and sustainable materials. The company has also said it is constantly improving upon its shoes and that newer iterations are more durable than the earlier versions.

Also, one reason for Allbirds’ growing ubiquity has been the fact that the shoes have strayed, somewhat, from Brown’s original vision of a purely athletic sneaker made from wool. While Allbirds sneakers can be worn for light athletic activity (the company says they work best for “short runs and casual [<5 mile] hikes"), most customers wear them for more casual purposes — anything from lounging around to running errands — or even in more traditionally dressed-up situations.
One reason for that shift is the years-old "athleisure" trend — think yoga pants and running shoes as an outfit for brunch, or even a casual Friday work meeting — pioneered by the likes of Lululemon and embraced by athletic brands like Nike and Adidas.
Allbirds showed up just in time to ride that athleisure wave, according to NPD Group Vice President Matt Powell, a sports industry analyst. "I think they read the market correctly," Powell tells CNBC Make It.
"One of the things we've seen over the past few years is really the blurring of what's athletic and what's not," Powell says. "More and more, people are able to wear sneakers to work, or a sneaker-like product, and I think [Allbirds] really meets that niche in between the two categories. It looks dressy, but it feels like a sneaker."
Still, it might be easy to look at Allbirds and wonder what all the fuss is about. Wool has been used in all types of clothing for thousands of years, Sullivan points out, and Allbirds' designs are so minimal that they almost seem boring or over-simplified. But, that might also be the point.
"Sometimes, simplicity really appeals to people," Sullivan tells CNBC Make It. "You just slip it on and go. You put it in a washing machine. Those kinds of advances really do revolutionize fashion, if they're done by the right people, in the right moment, and with the right distribution. Yeah, that's how they get huge."

Markets slump on fears of a global slowdown — Four experts on what to watch next 14 Hours Ago | 03:17Another sharp sell-off has investors reeling on Friday, as the Dow and S&P 500 both dove back into correction territory. The downturn has put more than half of S&P 500 stocks in a bear market, which means they are down more than 20 percent off their recent respective highs, and has put the index on track for its worst quarter since 2011. Slowing economic growth, trade war fears and a Fed meeting

Markets slump on fears of a global slowdown — Four experts on what to watch next 14 Hours Ago | 03:17

Another sharp sell-off has investors reeling on Friday, as the Dow and S&P 500 both dove back into correction territory. The downturn has put more than half of S&P 500 stocks in a bear market, which means they are down more than 20 percent off their recent respective highs, and has put the index on track for its worst quarter since 2011.

Slowing economic growth, trade war fears and a Fed meeting will be at the top of investors’ minds next week.

The first Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1967 in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall. This fall, I spent a day on the job with the team there to see what what it was like. The owner and operator of this location, Oscar Fittipaldi, ran a Philadelphia-based Chick-fil-A for five years before being selected to open the first Manhattan-based franchise. He’s no longer affiliated with the Philly location, as Chick-fil-A prohibits most franchisees from opening multiple restaurants. “We need to make sure that th

The first Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1967 in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall. The menu offered just a few classics, including the now-famous chicken sandwich, which sold for $0.59.

Today, the chain employs 120,000 people in 2,300 restaurants across 47 states. It first opened its doors to New Yorkers in October 2015, at the corner of 6th Avenue and 37th street in midtown Manhattan. This fall, I spent a day on the job with the team there to see what what it was like.

The owner and operator of this location, Oscar Fittipaldi, ran a Philadelphia-based Chick-fil-A for five years before being selected to open the first Manhattan-based franchise. He’s no longer affiliated with the Philly location, as Chick-fil-A prohibits most franchisees from opening multiple restaurants.

Landing the gig was no easy task: Chick-fil-A receives about 60,000 franchise inquiries per year, the company tells CNBC Make It and, of those applicants, only 75 to 80 are selected to open new locations. That’s an acceptance rate of less than 1 percent.

“I don’t have a specific formula [for] why people are selected to become franchisees,” says Fittipaldi, who spent 21 years as a merchant marine and ship captain before changing careers. “But one of the things that I would look [for] typically is: character, chemistry and competency.

“We need to make sure that the Chick-fil-A franchisees, when they come to the organization, they have a perfect chemistry with our brand.”

Wall Street angst over a possible recession may be increasing, but one bull refuses to waver. Federated Investors’ Steve Chiavarone believes there’s nothing on the horizon that suggests the 2018 market corrections will become a massive downturn next year. Rather, he sees stocks hitting fresh record highs — citing labor market trends, inflation levels, the Treasury yield curve and credit spreads as key factors contributing to a favorable economic and market environment. “We don’t have any of the

“We don’t have any of the early signs of recession. Yet, we have a market where despite 20 percent earnings growth, the P/Es [price-earnings ratios] have fallen 20 percent,” the fund manager said on CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Friday. “What that tells us is the market is pricing in recession in 2019. We just don’t think that is going to happen.”

Yet, it appears the Street isn’t convinced.

The major indexes ended the week deep in the red, with the Dow plummeting almost 500 points on Friday mainly due to global growth jitters. It’s now off 2.5 percent so far this year.

The S&P 500, which closed at its lowest level since April, is off more than 12 percent from its all-time high of 2940 hit on September 21 and 2.75 percent for 2018.